Armed Robbers Admit To Morris County Check-Cashing Shop Heist: Feds

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Two men from New York City have confessed to their involvement in a multi-state crime spree that included robbing a Morris County check-cashing business at gunpoint in 2021.

Ramel Harris, 42, and Neville Brown, 40, both of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty on August 14 in Newark federal court to three counts: Hobbs Act conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery and using a firearm during a crime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey.

The Hobbs Act is a law that allows prosecutors to bring federal charges for robberies that impact interstate commerce.

The charges relate to a crime spree from Jan. 2, 2021, to Sept. 3, 2022, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said.

The spree involved robbing or attempting to rob check-cashing businesses across several locations, including Hackettstown, Parsippany-Troy Hills and Old Bridge in New Jersey; the Bronx, Rockland (Nanuet) and Westchester (White Plains) in New York; Kings County on Long Island; and West Chester and Allentown in Pennsylvania.

Prosecutors stated that Harris and Brown used a similar method in each crime, as detailed in a previous criminal complaint. The men targeted check-cashing businesses on Saturday mornings and used zip ties to restrain employees.

Investigators reported that the men targeted an unnamed Parsippany check-cashing business on April 10, 2021, just after 8:30 a.m.

During the attack, one of the robbers pulled out a gun, seized an employee, and demanded that the employee unlock a door, threatening to shoot if the orders were not followed, according to investigators.

The robbers took the employee’s keys, zip-tied their hands while the employee was face down on the floor and made off with more than $300,000 from the heist, court records show.

In total, the duo stole over $578,000 from all three robberies, prosecutors said.

Law enforcement was able to obtain video surveillance footage linking Harris and Brown to the crimes. Additionally, cell phone records showed that their phones were near the locations of the robberies at the times they occurred.

The Hobbs Act conspiracy and Hobbs Act robbery charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The charge of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, which must be served consecutively to any other prison term.

Additionally, each count may incur a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss resulting from the offenses, whichever amount is greater.

Sentencing for both Harris and Brown is scheduled for Dec. 17, 2024.